Once Upon A Happily Ever After
by Bolmung LK
Summary: Mild OOC, intense language and graphic scenes. Years after High school Marinette is catering Adrien and Chloe's wedding when she finds out that Chloe has done everything in her power to ruin Adrien's life to control him. Marinette and Adrien run away to China together where they encounter Felix, Adrien's outcast brother. Now LB and CN must reunite once more. Villain!Luka
1. Chapter 1

_Once Upon A Happily Ever After_

She never imagined that she would have to graduate high school without him; she never imagined he'd just leave Paris like that. Ever since the Bourgeois' opened their new store in New York Adrien had been making frequent trips there and eventually he moved to Manhattan to be closer to his work. It was in the middle of their junior year in high school that Adrien left her side and her heart wept. Five years ago her beloved Adrien sailed away from her kingdom and into enemy territory; Bourgeois territory.

With flour coated palms she kneaded the dough to her new garlic and herb bread, the sweat of a hard day's work formed on her brow. That raven-blue hair that normally flowed freely to her waist was now tucked tightly into a messy bun on her head. The plain t-shirt she wore was stained with red and blue icing and her jeans cuffed at the ankle unevenly. She didn't bother to wonder what exactly was smeared up her arms and on her cheek, but one could assume it was either cake icing or crusty dough from hours ago.

"Marinette!" her mother gasped. "You're a mess!"

Marinette paused her kneading to stretch and groan tiredly. "Ugh, I know!" she whined. "But how else am I going to finish all one-thousand of these specialty _personal love-loafs_ by tomorrow? I don't have time to clean up as I go!"

Sabine could hear the exhaustion in her daughter's weary voice. For a moment the aging woman considered helping, but remembered the young girl's strong-willed argument that she, and she alone, would fulfill the dreadful request.

"At least let me wash your pans and mixing bowls as you go?" Sabine pleaded, and Marinette gave a weak smile and a small nod of her head before continuing her task.

It took all evening and most of the night before the job was done, one-thousand personal sized loaves of specialty bread. "I can't believe Andre and Audrey Bourgeois, and Emilie and Gabrielle Agreste are doing a dual-remarriage event!" she sighed heavily as she boxed up the last loaf.

"Oh honey…" Sabine sighed out knowing full well that her daughter harbored deep feelings for the Agreste boy. "Didn't you see the cake order?"

Marinette's ears burned hot, so hot that the icing nearly melted right off of her face. "N-no…. Why?" she inquired unsurely.

"There are three cakes in the order, one for Gabrielle and Emilie, another for Audrey and Andre…..and…" the mother paused hesitantly. Marinette's head turned slightly, knowingly, unwilling to believe the next line. "And for Adrien and Chloe."

Somewhere within the pits of her heart, the corners of her mind, and the abyss in her soul she already knew. From the very moment she saw the newspaper headlines read "Agreste & Bourgeois triple wedding" she knew what it meant; she just couldn't bring herself to believe it. For the first time in nearly three years she chose to refuse to believe the facts directly in front of her. Her fists gripped at her sides as er eyes fell to the floor at her dirty socks.

"I know." She muttered.

"I think it's cruel to hold your **own** re-marriage on the same day and location as your child's wedding, but everyone does things differently." Sabine sighed softly as she put the last bowl in the cabinet.

She looked like a zombie as she trudged ghostly out of the kitchen with a simple "shower" as her only remark. The old wooden stairs creaked as she sulked her way up two flights to her bedroom. Like a poltergeist she knocked over a picture frame and a couple other odds and ends off her dresser as she swiped her towel off the rack and headed into her bathroom. The hot water felt amazing on her sweaty skin as she washed off the oil and agony of the day. Down the drain went the suds and heartache followed by her hopes and dreams. As the water poured over her head and down her slender body a memory washed over her. She closed her bluebell eyes and let this whimsical moment in history take over her consciousness.

She felt the heft of the umbrella in her hands as his elegant smile charmed her as his gentle, yet oh so lush, verdant eyes put a spell on her. Of all of the alluring features this boy possessed, the one thing that entranced her was his honesty and valor; his desire to set things right and treat her fairly. The umbrella could be seen as an apology or some sort of gift, but she saw it was a peace treaty. _'Carry my dreams in kind, and I shall carry yours with me.'_ The resignation from enemy to friend with a hint of tomorrow's passion.

She didn't even remember getting out of the shower or laying down in just her towel on her bed, but she found herself staring at her ceiling and the chill of the December air wrapping itself around her like the cold hands of death; bringing her out of her utopia and back to the realm of grief. She took her towel off, wrapped it in her hair, and threw her blankets over herself in a desperate attempt to sleep for a few hours before the delivery to the wedding.

' _Why're they ordering their catering from us if their stupid wedding is in America anyways?'_ Marinette thought as she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She tossed and turned as she attempted to sleep, her towel twisting more and more with each turn. Finally her mind collapsed from exhaustion and she danced in the moonlight in her dreams with her Prince.

 **XxXxXxXxX**

Her alarm went off like a foghorn and she jolted up in a cold sweat, her towel falling off and her sheets damp with the remaints of her shower. She looked at the clock to see she had less than an hour to prepare for the flight. She threw on her clothes and grabbed her suitcase that she had packed the night before and bolted for the front door. She was greeted by the sight of her father loading the van with all the loaves of bread and her mother dragging a couple suitcases into the van.

"Oh dear, I was just about to wake you." Sabine said cheerfully. "I'm glad you're up so early, I have some good news!"

Marinette barely managed to stutter a "bwuh…" out before her father chimed in.

"The wedding is happening in Tokyo instead of New York! The Agreste's paid for our flight transfers and even a hotel for us to stay at for a week as a thank you for agreeing to switch from such an extreme distance!" Tom smiled from ear to ear.

"T-t..t…. **Tokyo**!?" Marinette nearly screamed. Her eyes popped wide open as she stared almost dumbfoundedly at her father. "But…but….why Japan? What happened to New York?"

"We're not sure sweetie," Tom said as he lugged another case of bread into the van. "but when Andre Bourgeois made the call I could hear Emilie and Audrey arguing in the back ground about firing someone. I'm assuming someone sneezed at the venue during set up and Chloe got grossed out or something." Tom cackled loudly.

Marinette's eye twitched. "But Adrien has Chinese ties, not Japanese…."

"Something about a Tsurugi or someone had close ties with Adrien and let them use their family temple for the wedding." Tom added as she slammed the van door shut with a satisfying **thunk**. "Well time to go, the airport ain't gonna wait for us."

' _Tsurugi….why is that name familiar…'_ Marinette thought as she absent mindedly played with her long tresses. _'Oh no! I left my hair in my towel as I slept! My hair is gonna be a nightmare now!'_ she inwardly facepalmed in her mind as the van took off.

Marinette sank back into her seat awkwardly, she was smooshed between the pungent smell of bread and garlic, and her mother's bright pink suitcase. She cursed herself for spending the last week studying and practicing her English to be able to understand basic communication in New York. They had a private jet waiting for them that had the Bourgeois logo on the side. Her jaw dropped as she was treated like a princess as the staff carried her luggage into the plane for her. She clutched her purse tightly as she sat down in a comfy lounge seat.

She quickly took note of the many rock n roll pictures on the walls and framed autographs of the hundreds of rockstars everywhere. As she soaked in the glory she noticed a particular object attached to the wall, a very familiar guitar. Upon closer inspection she recognized it as Jagged Stone's first every guitar used on stage. She gasped lightly as a smile spread across her rosy lips, a look of awe in her eyes was prominent as she admired the instrument.

"I know right! I drooled too when I first saw it!" came a familiar boy's voice from behind her. Her head whipped around to see her old classmate. She stared at him in disbelief for a moment before realizing who exactly she was looking at. A young woman with purple hair walked up beside him and smiled shyly and Marinette's eyes lit up like diamonds.

"Luka! Juleka!" she cried out and ran at them. The siblings welcomed their old friend in their arms and the three of them had a long hug before she pulled away, tears just barely forming in the brims of her eyes. "I haven't seen you guys since the graduation party!"

"I know, I'm so sorry!" Juleka said sweetly. "When we made our official band we didn't have time to drop by the bakery. Nice hair by the way!"

Marinette blushed as she grabbed her kinked and curled hair over her shoulder to hide it. She cursed herself again for forgetting to dry her hair before bed, now she looked like a slow. Luckily Luka thought it was cute.

"Yeah, and once we hit it big we were practicing non-stop and travelling abroad for tours. We had always planned to come home soon for a visit." Luka said as Juleka nodded.

"It's so good to see you two, but why are you on the plane to the worst wedding in human history?" Marinette asked without a hint of hesitation. Juleka laughed hautly and Luka roared deeply with laughter.

"Adrien hired us as the musical talent for the reception, he said he needed as many friends there as possible to help ease the pain." Juleka said with a snear. "Apparently Chloe refused to allow Nino to DJ for them because he's married to Alya who is your best friend." She rolled her eyes.

"But….I'm catering the wedding…. Why would Chloe care if my best-friend's husband DJ'd at that point?" Marinette looked dumbfounded and puzzled the more she thought about it.

"That's…. A good question." Luka said equally confused. Juleka shrugged.

"Now that you mention it, isn't it a bit odd that Chloe herself asked for garlic and herb bread instead of cupcakes or cookies for the wedding?" Marinette's lips puckered as she thought out loud.

"Did she order a cake?"

"Three." Marinette said flatly. "Three pineapple coconut cakes with mango puree filling….."

The siblings looked at each other then back to Marinette with disgust. "It's like she wants the wedding to fail…" they said in unison.

As the plane took off they caught up on the latest gossip from their graduating class and who was up to what. They were all treated like royalty on the plane as their conversation evolved into a more light hearted topic. Juleka held out a small box and opened it to Marinette. Her auburn eyes illuminated the room as the pearl ring inside dazzled Marinette.

"Rose will love it!" she chirped. "I just know she'll say yes!"

Luka greatly enjoyed the way Marinette's vivid cerulean eyes would sparkle every time his sister mentioned an old classmate or shenanigan they used to play. The corners of his lips curled up at her high pitched voice whenever the engagement party with Rose came up. She was the polar opposite of Luka, but somehow still so charming to him. As they sat down together with Marinette in the middle he inadvertently scooted closer to her in his seat and placed his arm on the arm rest next to her, allowing their forearms to brush against one another every so lightly. She felt like a warm feather against his skin.

"So Mari," he cleared his throat. "I heard Alya and Nino are _**expecting**_?"

"Oh!" she squeaked loudly. Juleka covered her ears, but Luka enjoyed it. "Don't tell anyone, it's a surprise! I'm planning the baby shower! The formal invitations go out next month, we're not telling anyone before that!"

The look of absolute delight on her cheeks gave him a toothy grin, he'd forgotten how adorable she was. Her waist length wavy hair was a new feature, but otherwise she looked immaculate, like she hadn't aged since the last they'd met years ago.

"So Marinette, I have a question." Juleka started and Marinette's curiosity peaked at the sudden mood plummet from Juleka. "Since Rose and I are a same-sex couple, do you think we should adopt or get a sperm donor?"

"Oh uhm… Hmm…" Marinette pondered deeply. "That might be something you and Rose will have to figure out on your own down the road."

"That's true, but I was thinking of having Luka donate to Rose and Rose's cousin donate to me, so the kids will both be related to the both of us." Juleka said unsurely.

"Oh wow…" Marinette marveled. "That's an awesome idea!"

Luka blushed as he bit his lower lip. "I know I agreed sis, but could you not embarrass me in front of Mari?" he laughed nervously.

"Oh please, Alya would have told her sooner or later, those two are on the phone with each other for a solid four hours a day, **every day**! She'd have found out by tomorrow morning!" Juleka teased.

"Alya knows?" Marinette's head whipped around quickly to look back to Juleka.

"Yeah, I actually asked her if Nino was willing because I wanted the father to be someone I knew, but it was a no-go." Juleka said shyly as she looked at the pearl in her hands. "We didn't know Rose had a cousin until a few weeks ago, he apparently just got back from Sweden and reconnected with the family."

"You two are going to be so happy together!" Marinette exclaimed as she placed a hand over the opal-pearl ring and smiled.

"I wish you would hurry up and find your happily ever after too, everyone has been waiting." Juleka said with a smile warm enough to melt chocolate.

Inwardly Luka smiled as he pretended to look the other way, ravishing in the feel of Marinette's arm pressing against his as she readjusted herself in her seat. He'd forgotten just how much that blue-eyed vixen had mesmerized him in high school.

' _Oh how I've missed all of my old friends…'_ Marinette thought as the joy radiating off of Juleka inspired her own nostalgia. It was a splendid, shining, shimmering day dream to think of everyone gathering around again, just once more.

 **XxXxXxXxX**

Gloomy was an understatement, downright abysmal and dreary were better words to describe the Tsurugi temple during the wedding prep. The wedding wasn't until the next morning, but all of the décor and cooking was being done today. An immaculate bride tried on her dress in one room of the temple while a morose groom sat with his head down and his legs apart in the foyer. His smart phone in his hand dimly illuminated his sullen facial expression as he stared soullessly at the picture on the screen.

A young man with blond hair with his arms lovingly wrapped around a younger blond boy.

The corners of his lips turned upwards as he swiped the picture to the right.

A black kitten stuffing its face with cheese while lying on a pile of cheese wedges.

Again his smile grew minuscule as he swiped the picture again.

An attractive young lady with lime cat-eyes and flowing blonde hair.

His smile fell as he scowled at the picture. _'Mother, why?'_ he thought grimly as he stared at her jolly expression. _'Why did you and father do it?'_

Just as he swiped right again a loud knocking on the foyer door alarmed him and brought him back to reality. Wordlessly he stood and opened the door a mere crack, before him stood Andre Bourgeois, the father of Lucifer herself.

"Adrien my boy, Chloe is requesting _yet_ _another_ venue change…We can't afford to waste more time moving again! Can you convince her to stay here?" the trembling man asked meekly.

"What now? She decided she didn't like _soy sauce_ or tempura?" Adrien asked almost snarky. The adolescent blond resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Andre sighed exasperatedly before clutching his chest. "It's about the Tsurugi girl…."

Adrien's eyes widened in sudden understanding of the situation; Chloe was jealous. "I understand Mr. Bourgeois, I'll get her to calm down." He said with what seemed to be a sense of duty, like an officer going to arrest an evil-doer.

Adrien moved passed the man and sulked down the hallway and out of sight. As he rounded the corner he lifted his phone up again and stopped dead in his tracks, the picture on his phone pulling him back into his wonderland once more. He kept but one selfie of himself as Cat Noir and Ladybug. Their arms on each other shoulders with their fingers in the V-pose. His lower lip trembled and curled up as if to cry; fate was a merciless monarch.

' _My lady….'_ His mind wandered from their days as heroes. _'How I long for just one more chance to fight an akuma by your side. Just once more….'_

He put his phone away and continued to trudge down the winding temple hallways to Chloe's bridal quarters. He didn't despise Chloe, but he didn't love her like a wife, much less a soulmate. He sneared as he drew nearer to the gates of hell itself, very little was keeping him from turning tail and running for the hills of China. He actually pondered it, considered the consequences versus the benefits as he stopped just before the prison doors and froze his heart over. Inside he could hear the spawn of Satan screeching about 'Kagami' and 'caterers'. As he stood frozen to the floor his phone vibrated in his pocket, he took it out and gasped very lightly.

 **[Nino: Our flight was cancelled, I don't think we'll make it in time. Someone tipped off the airlines that we were fugitives on the run….. Now we're on the no-fly list until they do a background check, which could take weeks…..]**

His frozen heart thawed; thawed to flames.

" **Chloe!** " Adrien roared as he slammed the door open to see her with her dress down halfway, her shoulders were bare and her arms covered her bosoms. Sabrina was kneeled before her with a sewing needle and thread.

"Oh _there you are_!" she scoffed out. "I can't believe your stupid mother picked out the catering from-"

"Shut up!" he screeched madly followed by ragged pants of breath. Sabrina fell backwards in shock and Chloe's mouth dropped open and inhaled sharply. The look of both fear and bewilderment plastered on her face told him that he needed to lower his tone. He took a deep breath and attempted to settle his nerves before acting wildly. Chloe's gentle hand reached out to touch him as her left hand bunched the dress up to her chest. Her long golden hair fell down upon her shoulders and her wild blue eyes downcast when he looked into them with frustration. A grimaced face told her that she was in trouble, big trouble.

"I-" Adrien began but was cut off abruptly.

"This isn't what I wanted…" Chloe said as she turned her head to the side and chocked back a sob. She sniffed back another sob before whimpering. "It's not fair…"

He was silent for what felt like a whole minute while Chloe shuddered. "What did you want?" he asked sullenly.

"Tell me the truth." She began as she turned back to face him sternly. Sabrina backing all the way into the corner. "Did you pick Japan because you wanted to be near Kagami? Is that why you chose this shrine? Is that why you-"

"Because you love sushi." He said simply. She blinked back a tear and retracted her hand back to her chest.

"You're lying."

"I am not, why would I lie about that?" he asked with pursed lips. His hand gripped his phone by his side harshly.

"Why didn't you order Japanese catering if you truly remembered that I love sushi? Why take me _all the way_ to **Japan** , to this specific shrine?" she sat down on her loveseat and crossed her legs defiantly.

"I thought you'd be happy after the nightmare in New York, so I started looking at places here and remembered that Kagami's family is prestigious and has a large shrine and she offered it for free. That's the only reason I picked the Tsurugi shrine." He explained with lifeless eyes.

"Did Kagami once confess her love to you? Didn't you two go on a date in high school once? Ice skating was it?" she pouted. He remained silent. "Also why did your mother order the catering from the Dupain-Cheng bakery? Did you not dance with Marinette in high school too? Did you not also take her on a date? You don't seriously plan onwearing that derby hat she made to our wedding, do you?" she asked progressively getting more and more enraged. He still held his tongue, unable to deny the truths, but admitting anything would only upset her further. She rose form her seat and advanced at him and stood mere inches from him; the ocean met the forest in a heated war.

" **Tell me why you keep inviting your girlfriends to our wedding?"** she said with contempt. He refused to answer and with a loud _slap_ her palm met his cheek.

He grabbed her wrist tightly and leaned in to her ear. "I have **never** had a girlfriend before, **ever**."

"Don't you love me though?" she quivered, the desperation in her voice having no effect on him.

"Only like a sister, **never as a wife**." The lack of emotion in his voice broke her spirit.

The defeat in Chloe's eyes was only visible from Sabrina's point of view as Adrien immediately released her and turned back on his heel and left the room with a slammed door. Not a single noise could be heard from outside that room as Adrien left swiftly. In one swooping run he bolted for the shrine entrance and made his way to the cross walk. The Tsurugi shrine was expansive and lengthy, if Chloe had called for his father to come retrieve him, it would be too late. Adrien hailed a cab and went straight to the airport.

He sat at the airport gateway, unable to choose a destination. The tears of frustration pooling in his eyes as he stared at the text from Nino. His hear pounded and flopped around, the guilt of leaving a heart broken woman at the altar bore down upon his chest like a thundering wrath; the only thing worse than this feeling was that of imaging his future married to Chloe Bourgeois. He opened his picture gallery again and kept swiping until he found something that caught his eye; a class photo from the senior year of high school. He'd missed graduation in Paris to pass a high school exam in America, something he deeply regretted. He took a moment to look at each classmate's face and think of a fond memory of them, he skipped over Chloe and Sabrina and went to Alya and Nino. He cracked a grin at remembering the camping field trip where Alya discovered that Nino snored like an ox.

Then his eyes landed on _her_ ; Marinette.

Some mystical force kept his eyes on her as he sought out a happy memory of her only to be faced with many instances. It was too hard to choose. The homecoming dance, the Romeo and Juliet play, the many akuma attacks in which she helped him herd the class to safety….there were too many good moments of her in his mind. Then the perfect memory hit him, the umbrella in the rain.

A sense of calm and peace overtook him, the fires of destruction he'd felt for Chloe were giving way to a tepid and slow ember. Wave after wave of nostalgia engulfed him as he recalled the four of them at the beach for his birthday. Nino knocked the cake into the sand and Alya rolled in it, she had to wash off in the ocean. Marinette brought everyone back to her bakery for a new cake and they spent the night in her room playing video games all night. When an akuma attacked in the middle of the night Marinette helped keep Nino and Alya safe while he and Ladybug vanquished the villain.

' _I want_ _ **that**_ _back.'_ He thought blissfully. A hopeful smile spread across his cheeks like icing on one of Marinette's cakes. _'I want to go_ _ **home**_ _.'_

 **XxXxXxXxX**

Marinette's plane landed and she was being escorted by the Agreste-Bourgeois servants through the terminal when she spotted a familiar hat on a blond man's head. He stood out greatly among everyone else at the terminal, he was fair skinned in a sea of Japanese folk. She pardoned herself from her family's chaperone and made her way to the man in a black suit and derby hat. As she neared him she could make out his facial features, he was most certainly handsome enough to be who she thought he was. She slowed her pace until she reached him and stood before him, he had his head hung and his phone in his hand staring at it intently.

"Uhm, excuse me…" she mumbled with a small voice as she twirled her messy hair in her fingers nervously. "Adrien?"

His eyes flickered from his phone to her legs then back to his phone. "So I've been spotted by a fan all the way out in even Japan, eh?" he said lowly, but not with a harsh tone.

"It's me, do you recognize me?" she asked sheepishly with a deep blush.

Her voice echoed in his head a few times before his eyes widened and his head slowly lifted up to allow their eyes to meet. His eyes were met with the soft sight of Marinette in her natural allure, her cheeks were rosen, her hair was windswept, and her eyes were gentle. She was perfectly preserved in time like her photos, no sign of aging except for the length of her hair. He stood up slowly, putting his phone in his jacket pocket and putting his hands up to her cheeks absent mindedly. She could have sworn a tear was forming in his eyes as he pulled her into a tight hug and held on like his life depended on it. He made a few sobbing and sniffling noises before Marinette's mind processed what was happening. She returned the hug gently and allowed him to bury his face into her shoulder and weep quietly. She didn't know what was happening, only that the man she hadn't seen in years, the man who still held her heart, was sniveling into her messy hair.

Most women smelled like perfume, flowers, or soap. Never Marinette. She only smelled like cake and happy memories. He took a deep breath and allowed the scent to envelop him into a sense of peace, like incense. She smelled approximately like a teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon and sugar.

"Adrien, I don't know what's going on, but why are you at the airport?" she asked directly into his ear.

"I…" he swallowed hard as he pulled himself away from her but kept his hands on her upper arms. Her hands laid flat on his chest as he bluebell eyes looked into his emeralds curiously. "I'm calling off the wedding, I'm going to China to see someone."

She couldn't lie and say she was upset, but she was definitely worried about his reasoning.

"What happened? Did Chloe do something mean again?" she asked with almost a pout.

"She called the airport and told them that Nino and Alya were fleeing France as criminals so that they couldn't be at the wedding. She probably didn't want them in the wedding photos." He sneered and crossed his arms.

"That's horrible! Isn't that illegal?" Marinette gasped and put her hands over her mouth

"It doesn't matter now, there is no wedding for them to attend anyways." He sighed out and looked into her gentle eyes. A wild idea hit him and he barely had time to mull it over before the words left his mouth against his will. "Will you run away to China with me?"

She let out a pant of surprise, her eyes filled with wonder and she almost uttered an answer before he caught himself.

"I'm sorry," he put his hands on his head and looked to the floor. "That was dumb of me!"

Her mouth opened to give an answer, any answer, but no words came out.

"Please just forget I asked." He said as he saw Luka and Juleka approaching from behind her.

"Hey man!" Luka said excitedly, startling Marinette slightly. " **So** excited to perform at your reception tomorrow man!"

Marinette considered breaking the news, but decided it was better to let Adrien tell them himself. Adrien's eyes widened as he saw the siblings with their guitar and keyboard in cases and Marinette's parents pushing giant covered carts of baked goods. All of them had poured their efforts into preparing for this wedding, even his own parents dolled out more money than their mortgage to hire the staff and designers. A wave of guilt wrapped itself around his heart as he saw how excited Juleka and Luka were.

His phoen rang and he excused himself around the corner to answer it.

"Adrien you fool, I already told you that this marriage is **not** about love or happy feelings. It's about the family business and your future success!" Gabriel said sternly, Adrien could hear him stomp his foot loudly.

"You're right, it's not about love." Adrien said lowly.

"Will you finally acknowledge your place in this world and do as you're told?"

"It's about oppression and owning me, isn't it?" Adrien said darkly, ignoring his father's question.

"What?" Gabriel's voice cracked slightly. "You dare-"

Adrien hung up the phone and returned to his old friends where he took up the posture of a calm and collected man. He held his head high and offered to personally escort them to the venue. Marinette's parents took a cargo van to the temple while Adrien rented a normal car and put Marinette in the passenger seat and the siblings in the back. He drove slowly to the shrine and pulled into a back area that was sectioned off from the main shrine.

"This is where I'm staying during the ceremony, you two are staying in a hotel downtown, but you can put your equipment and instruments in that room there." He pointed and the musicians parted ways, leaving Marinette and Adrien alone.

Luka glanced back curiously to see a concerned look on Marinette's face as she stared at Adrien before entering the appointed room to unload his things.

"Where's my room?" she asked nervously. "I thought my parents said we were also staying in a nearby hotel?"

"Sorry, I just wanted those two out of the way. Follow me to my room." He instructed and she obeyed quietly.

As she shut the door behind her she noticed that the bedroom was a standard Japanese style room with nothing but a cot on the floor and a dresser, clearly something neither of them were used to. He leaned against the wall next to the door and groaned deeply in agony, as if drowning in a sea of woe. She knew he was suffering, but the deep throaty groan turned her on a bit. She hadn't seen this man in person in over four years, yet he still held her in the palm of his hand. As she was lost in the thought of his masculine mewl he looked at her pensively; who was Marinette these days? Was she still kind and gentle?

"I'm sorry for asking you such a ridiculous question earlier…" he sighed out softly.

"Oh uhm…" she paused, unable to find the right words. She fiddled with the hem of her messy hair before pulling it over her shoulder and twirling it around her finger.

Adrien basked in the way her downcast eyes looked to the floor with her sweet smile and gentle blush across her cheeks. He didn't remember her looking so mystical back in high school. He wanted to ask her so many questions about their old classmates that he'd lost contact with. He leaned back against the wall next to her and pressed his back into it and let out another deep groan of exhaustion. She found this both attractive and alarming, what was he up to that was so tiring the day before his wedding? Shouldn't his servants be taking care of all of the hard parts? She burned with a desire to know what he was thinking and why he asked such a bizarre question at the airport. She wanted to believe so many different things, yet she found herself too engrossed in the moment to actually speak. She wanted to observe as he popped his neck and stretched his arms and listen to the deep grunts coming from his chest and out his nose. He finally stopped and sunk down to the floor slowly with an ominous and weary weight upon his shoulders.

"Wh-why did you ask me to run away to China with you?" she finally asked.

"I didn't want to run away alone, and there you were…just **there** right when I needed you." He said listlessly.

"But why are you running away, don't you want to marry Chloe?"

He shook his head violently.

"Then what's going on?" she asked with curiosity and morbid interest. "Why are you waiting until a day before the wedding to say anything to anyone?"

"Ugh…" he snorted out annoyedly. "My mom is making a movie with Chloe's mom and so my dad is forcing me to be in it with Chloe as their kids. He thinks if Chloe and I are really married then it'll be more romantic and bring in a bigger audience. Chloe also conned her dad into talking my dad into a pre-arranged marriage by offering fulkl-access to restricted areas for photo shoots and movie filming spots. The list goes on." He took a deep breath and placed his forehead in his palms, clearly distressed. "I knew from the very beginning that it would make my parents so happy to have Chloe and I wed, but…" he paused and shivered as he drew his knees up to his chest and folded his arms overtop his knees and put his head down.

"But what about _your_ happiness?" Marinette asked with a sigh of sorrow as she knelt down beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

The warmth of her hand caused him to glance up at her from the nook of his arm and remembered exactly how she used to be able to cheer him up.

"Where have you been the last four years?" he asked as he smiled up at her.

"In Paris, where I belong." She whispered softly.

He didn't know if she meant that as a rejection to going to China with him or an invitation to go home to Paris with her. Either way it wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear.

"I specifically requested that your bakery be the one to cater the wedding because I wanted as many friends there as possible. I knew that Nino being my best-man meant that Alya would be there, and if I asked Luka and Juleka to do the reception music then Rose would come. I tried little ways to get everyone back together so I would be as little alone as possible, but Chloe stomped on all of that!" he hissed as he grit his teeth. "I asked Kagami for help, so she brought me to her shrine for the ceremony. I asked Nathaniel and Marc to help write my vows so they could have an excuse in Chloe's eyes to be invited….I… I tried…"

As the dam bust in Adrien so did the heart in Marinette's chest. She wrapped her arms around him as he let the tears of years of anguish flow freely. "I t-tried to find a way…to…to invite Mylene and…and…the others…" he said between sobs as Marinette cradled him and cried with him.

"I'm here." She whispered gingerly. "I made it. See?"

He looked up at her again to see tears streaking her rosy cheeks, tears she shed for **him**. He was a bit awestruck at her, she was always so gentle and understanding, the complete opposite of Chloe.

"Thank you." Was all he could whisper in return.


	2. Chapter 2

_**BLK: Sorry about typos and such on the first chapter, I didn't thoroughly re-read it. I'll do it from now on though.**_

 _Chapter II_

"Man, this sucks!" Alya groaned as she paced around the airport's investigation room.

Nino sat grimly with his forehead on the table and his arms down at his sides, like an unplugged toy. As his wife reached one end of the room she'd turn on her heel swiftly and march to the other end of the room, ranting the entire time.

"Next time I see that witch-she-devil I'll give her a piece of my mind **and** my fist!" Alya hissed out as the security agent flipped through a file in front of Nino. The guard gave her a strange look upon the threat of violence, but perfectly understood the raging woman's reasoning, anyone would be pissed off after a false accusation of this scale.

"Well mister and misses Lahiffe, I'm seeing no immediate warrants for arrest and nothing comes up in our systems with your names on it. We have no reason to hold you here, but we still can't let you fly internationally because the call came directly from the mayor of Paris. It's not a call we can take lightly." The man in uniform said as he unlocked the room's door and held it open for them.

Alya grabbed Nino by the upper arms and dragged the lifeless man out of the room like the rag doll he'd become. Without a word to the security guard she stormed out of the airport and into a taxi cab. On the ride home she furiously texted Marinette who was busy consoling a lad in distress.

 **[Alaya: Can you fucking believe this?! I don't care whose daughter you are, I'm gonna sue for damages! We can't even get a refund on our plane tickets or hotel room!]**

 **[Marinette: Oh I know! But you aren't gonna believe this either! Adrien says he's not gonna marry she-devil afterall. He said she's too mean and that he doesn't love her. Chloe is gonna flip out for sure after she finds out he's calling off the wedding tonight.]**

 **[Alya: Holy shit gurl, are you for real?!]**

 **[Marinette: It's a real mess out here, I don't think some of us are making it out of Japan alive…]**

"Nino!" Alya exclaimed and shook his shoulder violently.

The grief-striken man barely mumbled a "hummff" before his wife loudly shrieked in his ear.

"Marinette says that Adrien is calling off the wedding!"

Nino blinked several times before looking at Alya's screen and doing a double take. "This will turn into an international scandal easily, it'll be on the news for sure." He said worriedly. "Tell Marinette to convince Adrien to **get out** of Japan as soon as possible! Chloe has only gotten worse since high school from what he's told me, she actually pulled a knife on him last week!" Nino urged her and Alys tapped away at het phone.

Marinette's eyes widened and she gasped sharply at the current text. "A knife?!" she cried out. "Adrien, did Chloe really pull a knife on you last week?"

"She didn't just threaten me with it, she carved over the top of my left ring finger, saying I'd have to wear my wedding ring for the rest of my life to cover up the scar in photoshoots…" he said drearily as he showed her the scab. "it's her way of owning mem I suppose."

Wordlessly Marinette held Adrien's slender, yet still masculine, hand and caressed it gently. She glanced back at the text from Alya telling her to get him out of Japan immediately and made up her mind. Damned be the consequences, she'd face them all for his sake. She'd fight off Chloe, run from the French army, and even beat an akuma with her bare hands if she must, but by the grace of the gods she'd save her soulmate from this hell.

"Let's go to China!" she said as tears pooled in her eyes and she shivered slightly.

With almost enamor and a hint of curiosity he looked up into her teary eyes with his own damp eyes. With soaked lashes and stained cheeks, he whimpered a meek "please".

"We'll leave quietly, so that no one will know!" she said as she helped him stand up. "Just grab enough things to last a few days until we get to my relative's house!"

"I knew you were half Chinese, but I didn't know you still had relatives **in** China!" he said surprised as he wiped his eyes on his sleeves.

"I know which airport we need to land in, but I'll have to ask him for directions to his temple. They have an herb and exorcism shop there with a natural hot spring. It's a great place to take a short vacation and get things sorted out from a safe distance from the wit-err…"

"Bridezilla?" he said flatly.

"Yeah, let's go with that!" Marinette said nervously, not entirely certain if blatantly insulting Chloe was a good idea at the moment. She didn't know the depths of Adrien's love, or possible contempt, for the woman yet. It was best to play it safe for now.

"Where's this temple at exactly?" he asked as he threw several articles of clothing into a duffel bag.

"It's right on the outskirts of Tibet, right to the East." She said as she handed him some of his belongings off of his dresser.

 **XxXxX**

From the other side of the door Luka stood nearly horrified. To say he was scared was incorrect, the man was mad, mad enough to seek out the villain herself for assistance. He asked several shrine staff members where the bridal quarters were until he found Chloe in her evening robes crying into her phone with her mother. Even though the door was open he knocked softly with an expression that could kill a demon.

"What in the hell do you want?" Chloe asked with disgust. She looked him up and down, noting the dangerous expression on his face.

"You're a good deal-maker, right?" he opened cautiously.

Intrigued she lifted her nose in the air, but kept her eyes on him. "Of course I am, so if you have something good to offer, speak up!" She hung up the phone without so much as a 'goodbye'.

Sabrina clenched the hem of the wedding dress she was stitching and braced herself for what felt like a show-down between two villains. She didn't like to disobey Chloe, but she also didn't like getting overly involved in her scandals and schemes. She knew if she got in too deep, there'd be no reasonable way out; facing 'damned if she did, damned if she didn't' ordeals daily.

"I have information that you'll want, in exchange I want you to work your magic as daughter of mayor for something I want in exchange." He said as he closed the door behind himself and locked it. The clicking of the lock perked her interest more than his words; a locked door meant a bigger secret.

"I'm all ears." She said almost sweetly as she patted the spot on the loveseat next to her.

 **XxXxX**

 **[Nino: I heard you and Mari and going somewhere safe? Please just tell me you're safe and with good company bro.]**

 **[Adrien: This cannot reach Chloe's ears, but I'm with Marinette, we're going to a relative's house in China. I don't know how long I'll be there, but I'll call when we arrive.]**

 **[Nino: Alya and I are on a no-fly list for international flights, but if there's a chance you could make it back to Paris, or even France, we're here for you buddy.]**

 **[Adrien: Thanks man, and tell Alya I said thanks for telling Mari to come with me. You have no idea how alone I felt sitting at that airport trying to leave by myself.]**

"Looks like he's going to be okay." Nino sighed out in relief. Alya smiled at the last text Nino had received.

"Well, I can rest easy now that those two are _together_ again!" Alya smiled proudly.

"It's not like they're eloping, she's just helping him get away from Chloe." He cocked his eyebrows at her.

"Eheh….boy, when a man and woman _run away together_ , it's romantic!" she snickered as she beat her eyelashes at her man. The two made it home with their luggage and were greeted by Rose, Marc, and Nathaniel.

"I know I asked you to look after the cat while we were gone, but we barely made it to the airport and ya'll are already here?" Alya asked jokingly.

"Well, we wanted to just make sure you didn't forget to turn off the stove or anything!" Rose giggled effervescently. "Besides, we just got an interest text from Juleka."

"Oh no…" Alya bit her lip. "Don't tell me you already heard something…"

"Yup! No keeping secrets from _uuuuss_!" Rose said in a sing-song chirp. Alya panicked slightly as Nino sank behind her. "Juleka said that Marinette and Luka reconnected and it'd be awesome possum if we had a dual wedding together!" she said in delight as she held her phone to her cheek lovingly.

"But didn't you want Marinette to cater you and Juleka's wedding?" Nathaniel asked with his arms crossed. "How is she gonna cater your wedding if she's getting married at the same time?"

Rose's expression dropped. "Oh…"

Alya took a sigh of relief before realization dawned on her. "What exactly do you mean by _Luka and Marinette_ _ **reconnected**_?"

"Well Juleka says that Chloe says that Luka says that he and Marinette _talked_ and were getting along very smoothly!" Rose said with a thumbs up and a wink.

"Uh huh…." Alya said with an anxious tone and a confused blink. "Gurl, I'll be **right the fuck back**!"

 **[Alya: Gurl, what the FUCK is Rose talking about?]**

 **[Marinette: What? I'm kind of busy, Adrien and I are at the airport right now. We're trying to be discrete! I'm sure Rose knows what she's talking about, she and Juleka already talked to me about it. It's gonna be amazing! Just let Rose explain everything!]**

"Oh my god…what?!" Alya screeched at her phone. "She's **with** Adrien, but she's talking to frickin' Luka?! That damn girl! What is she doing?!"

Rose and the others shrugged.

"What do you mean that Marinette is _with_ Adrien right now?" Nathaniel asked curiously as he took a sip of his tea.

Alya clenched her phone as she stared at the last text from Marinette. "I don't even know what she means anymore either."

 **XxXxX (Parenthesis means Chinese being spoken.) XxXxX**

"Oh, well I guess the cat is out of the bag." Marinette said as she and Adrien sat down in their seats on the plane.

"What cat? **What bag!?"** Adrien shrieked out in panic as his eyes darted around the plane at all the other passengers.

"Calm down, it's not about you or Chloe, silly!" she giggled. "It's about Rose and Juleka's baby plans!"

Adrien allowed the adrenaline rush to fade before coming to his senses. "Baby plans?" he asked dumbly.

"Yeah, Rose is going to get the sperm donation from Luka so that the baby is related to both her and Juleka. Then Juleka is going to get a sperm donation from Rose's Swedish cousin so that that baby is also related to both of them. I think it's an awesome idea!" Marinette said happily and Adrien nodded.

"I'm just glad someone from our class got their happily ever after like Alya and Nino did." Adrien smiled softly.

"Oh, you didn't hear?" Marinette asked and Adrien turned to her curiously. "Mylene and Ivan got married last month, then Marc and Nathaniel's wedding is next fall, and Alix just got a boyfriend too!"

"Seems like we're the odd ones out." He noted mostly to himself.

' _We don't have to be.'_ Is the statement burning it's way from the back of her mind wanting to leap out of her mouth, but she managed to get ahold of herself and recompose.

"Ahh, yeah…heh…" she said shyly.

She had planned to make small talk with Adrien on the lengthy flight to China, but the constant buzzing of her phone kept her fairly busy. She was bombarded with questions from her parents about her whereabouts, from Juleka about possible dinner plans together, strange questions from Alya, and even stranger questions from Luka.

' _What is going on all of a sudden? Why am I the center of attention so quickly? The only ones who should know I'm with Adrien are Alya and Nino….'_ She thought as she chose to answer her parents' texts first.

 **[Marinette: Mom, I'm so sorry, but I'm with a friend. I'm staying at their hotel for a few nights. Please don't worry about me, we're helping the groom get ready! Please forgive me for not helping serve the cakes at the weddings, I know you and dad can handle it!]**

One text down, several more to go. She grew weary of the half-lies she had to tell the innocent people, but Alya and Luka were two different stories. Next to her, Adrien's phone began to light up just as quickly as hers.

 **[Nino: Bud, I think something super shady is going down. Is it true that Luka and Mari were talking today? Did you know about it?]**

 **[Adrien: Yeah, why? I knew, I was there.]**

 **[Nino: nvm then, none of my business…as long as you know]**

Adrien's brow furrowed, the perplexed expression on his face told Marinette that something was amiss on his end as well.

"Seems like we're both getting crazy texts, huh?" she said casually as she continued tapping on her screen.

 **[Luka: Do you wanna catch dinner with Juleka and me tonight? We don't need to rehearse, we did that plenty before the flight. It'd be nice to reconnect and stuff.]**

 **[Marinette: Actually I'm exhausted from the flight and baking. I'm gonna stay in my hotel room until the ceremony! Maybe after the wedding? Aren't we all staying a week?]**

' _She's really lying to me?'_ Luka sneered at his phone in disapproval.

 **[Luka: No, actually Juleka and I have a concert in China in a few days, so we won't be staying very long. I think we leave the morning after the weddings.]**

Marinette cried out with a small squeak that caught Adrien's attention. He gave her an odd glance as she fumbled with her phone madly.

 **[Marinette: China?! Where in China?]**

 **[Luka: Near Tibet, it's by some small town, but I hear they have a Miyota-Cheng temple there. When I saw the name Cheng I kinda got inspired by your name and decided it was fate!]**

The unreadable expression on Marinette's face gave Adrien the impression that something new had come up. It was as if she'd seen a ghost, or had been told a really bad pun.

 **[Marinette: That's such a crazy coincidence, I have family out there! The Miyota-Cheng temple belongs to my Uncle and cousin! Say hi to them for me!]**

"Adrien," she said solemnly, which got his attention undividedly. "We can't go to my relative's temple."

"Why not?" he asked desperately.

"Luka and Juleka are having a concert at the temple in a few days. I don't buy that it's a coincidence either. Please don't tell me that someone found out already?" she grimaced as she stared at her phone intensely.

Adrien kept his eyes locked on her expression, cherry picking his next words carefully. "I know someone in China." He finally said as he began dialing a number.

"Someone trustworthy?" she asked pensively. He could see the worry in her eyes, and the unwavering desire to see-through this situation to the end.

He nodded as the phone rang up to his ear a few times. "He's who I was going to go see in the first place if I'd gone alone."

"Who?" she asked wondrously.

"Nino and I have a code name for him; Beijing." He said with almost a scowl.

' _A code name? Is he someone important or undercover?'_ she pondered.

The phone's receiver picked up and without a word from the other end Adrien spoke in an ancient tongue, ("The kitten returns to Beijing.")

A short silence overtook the scene before a reply could be heard, ("Beijing is no longer in paradise, return to Oblivion.")

Adrien made a grunting noise of disapproval. ("There is no Oblivion!")

Marinette's head spun, she had Chinese ancestry and could speak key phrases, but nowhere near fluently like Adrien could. She let out a small whine of confusion as he brain tried to decipher any single word they two spoke.

("What happened to Oblivion?") the soft, yet clearly male, voice asked from the other end of the phone.

("The tiger and the lion swallowed it whole, then the wasps took over. There is no other option.") Adrien retorted.

Another silence swept over them as Adrien's lip quivered.

("Come to Beijing, but know this, the flower beside you…take a long look at its petals and tell me if its fragrance warrants plucking.")

A chill crawled up Adrien's spine as he looked into Marinette's inquisitive bluebell eyes. He thought long and hard about the deeper meaning behind Beijing's words before giving way to a soft smile. ("This flower is a lotus of war.") Marinette had no idea what he'd just said, but he said it with such a gentle and caring tone that she couldn't help but wonder what he was talking about.

' _He looked right at me as he said something so…lush.'_ She thought with a blush.

("Beijing awaits.") the voice said before hanging up.

' _Marinette was always awesome at helping calm the class down during akuma attacks, I'm sure she'll make an excellent ally if that's what_ _ **he**_ _thinks.'_ Adrien thought as Marinette squirmed in her seat.

"What was all that Chinese about?" she asked with a confused pout.

"My phone is wire tapped, but only while a call is being made. My father doesn't know that I know about it. So whenever I call **him** I have to speak in as much code words as possible. Even though father is fluent in Chinese as well, it just makes it less likely that someone else will pick it up and try to decipher it for him if they overhear. It's just an extra precaution." He explained.

"But won't your parents come looking for you in Beijing if they know you're going there?" she asked perplexed. "I mean you're going to China and calling this guy 'Beijing', won't they find you?"

"That's the thing, they don't know that I know my phone is bugged. So calling him Beijing will make them _think_ I'm going to Beijing. His place is actually in Qinghai, not a place my parents would look for me in." Adrien smirked.

Marinette's mind reeled with terms and words before it dawned on her. "But…Qinghai is directly East of Tibet….where my family's temple is….where Luka's concert is…." She blinked slowly as she spoke.

Adrien made a soft humming noise of thought before his eyes opened wide. "Wait a sec…"

 **[Adrien: What's the actual name of your castle?]**

 **[Beijing: Is it safe to give real names?]**

 **[Adrien: No, but it won't matter soon. Please tell me the real name.]**

 **[Beijing: Miyota-Cheng.]**

 **[Adrien: Shit, expect a call from the Lotus of War. This is bad.]**

 **[Beijing: Understood.]**

"Marinette, we're in deep shit." He grit his teeth and she sank into her seat. "I need your phone." He demanded and she gave it to him freely. He took his original phone and ripped open the back panel and removed the battery before standing up and disposing of it in a trash receptacle down the aisle. When he returned he began dialing a strange number on her phone.

"It's me." He said darkly.

"Oh? This is rare…" the voice said in French.

"Miyota-Cheng isn't a good place for us to meet." Adrien said with a shiver of fear. "This phone will be my only contact with you until we meet in person."

"Father has gone that far off the deep end, huh?" the voice said menacingly.

"Worse, he's forcing me to marry Chloe. Now someone might know we're going to Miyota-Cheng temple. We cannot be there. **You** cannot be there!" Adrien urged direly and the man sighed softly. "The Lotus has ties to Miyota-Cheng temple, it's too dangerous."

"Sounds like you're in a real mess, Adrien." The man said and some shuffling in the background could be heard followed by the man talking to someone behind him saying 'Ready the box, we're moving out.'

"It's worse than you could imagine." Adrien groaned lightly.

"I can't wait to meet Miss Lotus of War, we'll meet at the airport. Security cameras may be able to follow us inside the building, but once we're on the road they won't be able to spot you. If he high tail it before any of father's private jets make it here we can get away. Don't answer any unfamiliar numbers, it's how father puts a tracking code in your phone. I'll have _Kyoto_ greet you with a disguise." The man said before hanging up abruptly.

Adrien gave Marinette her phone back and sighed with relief. He gave her a reassuring look before she could even ask anything.

 **XxXxX**

Luka took a seat next to Chloe and leaned unusually close to her, not that she minded a handsome famous young man's company. They eyed each other for a moment before she leered at him suspiciously.

"Speak." She commanded directly.

"Don't be so callous, I know you were a real nightmare in high school to my sister. So don't think I'm going to tolerate your attitude." Luka said with disgust. "I'm only coming to you out of desperation."

"Well then hurry up, I don't have all day. I have to make a call to daddy to bring Adrien back to his senses and-"

"What if there was no Adrien anymore?" he asked ominously. She paused and looked at him cautiously.

"W-was that a **threat**?" she stammered and her jaw dropped at him.

"No, it's a warning. I over heard something Adrien said. I'll give you all the details you want if you do something for me first." He said as he leaned back in his seat comfortably, as if he held all the cards in the game.

She looked thoughtful and huffed. "What do you want me to do?"

"Have your father arrange a concert in China at a specific location for me. I did some looking into the location and there's a concert hall near a temple called Miyota-Cheng. Get me that concert to be hosted in two or three days and I'll tell you absolutely **everything** that Adrien and Marinette talked about."

Chloe's mouth hung open even further as she looked at him with despair. _Her_ Adriekins, with that nasty Dupain-Cheng girl? "Deal. Let me make the call." She said as she picked up the phone and immediately whined "Daddy! I need a favor!"

Luka chuckled lowly, he hadn't felt this _alive_ in years. As much as everything was going his way he could shake this heavy weight in the pit of his stomach, it felt alien and deafeningly strangling. Like an arm was wrapped around his neck and the hand extended into his stomach. He felt conflicted, but so….so….

"Okay, it's done. You have your silly concert. Now spill everything!" she said viciously.

' _Thrilling!'_ his mind roared.

"Juleka and I were picked up by your father's private jet in Paris as instructed, but for some reason Marinette and her parents were also scheduled to be picked up as well. When we got to the Tokyo airport we kinda split off, Marinette seemed like she was looking for someone, like she had anticipated that someone she knew was gonna be there waiting for her already. Then by the time I found her Adrien and her were hugging and crying, like a lover's reunion after years apart. They tried to play it off like it was a coincidence, but I saw right through it. He's using her for something, I can feel it."

Chloe sank to the floor beside Sabrina who put her hand on her shoulder for support. She too was having a hard time grasping what Luka was saying. "But….why…." Chloe stuttered out as Luka continued.

"I don't know why, but when Adrien escorted us three to the Tsurugi shrine he told Juleka and I to put our stuff in the other room while he and Marinette went into **his** bedroom all **alone**. I was kind of suspicious so I pressed my ear to the door and listened for a bit. They mentioned running away to the Miyota-Cheng temple in China tonight and that Adrien was calling off the wedding or something. He's giving her a sob story to con her into eloping with him or something." Luka said with a sour bite in his tone. "Marinette would never run away with an engaged man without a good reason, right?"

Chloe had a single tear down her cheek as Sabrina patted her back cooingly. "Give me your phone, I'll handle this." She hissed darkly. Chloe began typing on Luka's phone as she mumbled something incoherent under her breath.

 **[Luka/Chloe: I won't be back tonight, set up without me. I'm gonna hang out with Marinette alone in her hotel room. We're reconnecting and it's going well! We're talking about going for coffee when we get back to Paris. I smell a spring wedding! 3]**

 **[Juleka: Woah, that's crazy awesome! But since when did you start using emojis?]**

 **[Luka/Chloe: g2g, Mari is waiting for me in the hot tub!]**

"Chloe!" Luka exclaimed with his hands on his head. "Why did you lie?"

"It's so obvious it's pathetic! You like that slovenly girl, so this works out for us both!" Chloe cackled as she stood up, knocking Sabrina back slightly as she did. "I get Adrien back, you get little cake girl!"

"How exactly is spreading lies like that going to help me win Marinette over exactly? I only just reunited with her today!" Luka growled, remembering that dealing with Chloe was **always** a huge mistake.

 **[Juleka: Did Mari say she wanted to hang out anytime after the wedding ceremony? We don't leave until the morning.]**

 **[Luka: Not yet. I'll see.]**

' _Shit, I don't know how to get out of this or handle lying like this. What if I make some huge lie that doesn't make any sense?'_ he thought as he furrowed his lower lip. He hesitated to text Juleka again with another lie, it felt wrong.

"Ugh! Give me that!" Chloe rolled her eyes and snatched his phone.

 **[Luka/Chloe: I'll ask her after we get out of the shower after the hot tub. Right now we're picking out couple names. Which do you prefer? Lukanette, Marika, or Marilukanette?]**

"Quit making me sound so cheesy!" he stole his phone back from the witch's clutches.

"Look, the more you sound invested, the more people will believe it." She huffed her nose in the air and turned her back on him.

He growled from deep within his chest, the audacity of this woman was unreal. But he knew he was entirely reliant on her at this point, that at any moment, with a flick fn her fingers, he will be undone and his secrets exposed. "How do I go forth from here?" he asked quietly.

"If you want my guidance you must act gracious!" she said as she sat back down on her love seat and crossed her legs.

He swallowed his pride and took a deep breath. "Chloe, please help me, I'm begging you."

"You don't look like you're begging…" Chloe said boredly.

He dropped to one knee and glared her directly in the eyes. "I will bring Adrien back to you, and he will return willingly." He said defeatedly.

"Not exactly what I expected, but it works for me." She said victoriously. "Now then, we do have a problem here."

His defeated expression gave way to a more concerning appearance. "Oh?"

"We need cake-chick to fall in love with you and to convince Adrien that she's no longer on his side." Chloe said thoughtfully.

The two were silent for a moment before Sabrina spoke up. "If only Hawkmoth were here, you could get someone akumatized."

Chloe and Luka did a double take and looked at the ginger in surprise. Luka's stomach twisted while Chloe grinned sinisterly.

"During my time as Queen Bee I once followed Ladybug to Master Fu's hideout in Paris." She began and Luka's blue head snapped back to look at her astonished. "I watched very carefully at the passcode to get into the miraculous box for just this occasion." She cackled slightly under her breath.

"The say what now?" Luka asked, he didn't like where this was going.

"The five heroes vanquished Hawkmoth five years ago, Master Fu approached us each individually to retrieve the miraculouses. Gabriel Agreste may not remember being Hawkmoth, but the rest of the world does. Ladybug gave the butterfly miraculous back to Master Fu and he sealed them back into the box. If we can get back into that box and –"

"Woah woah woah woah!" Luka shot up straight and backed into the door. "We're supposed to be talking about breaking up secret lovers, not stealing the friggin miraculouses and akumatizing people! Are you nuts lady?"

The panic in his voice caused Sabrina to tremble as well. _'This is all my fault, me and my big mouth!'_ she thought as she whimpered and drew her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them.

"How else are we going to do this? You can't uphold a lie without a little magic." She smirked.

"How did you plan on doing this before Sabrina mentioned akumatizing someone?" he asked with a shaky voice.

"I didn't plan on anything, I just knew I had so many aces up my sleeve that no one could stop me, but I like the idea of akumatizing someone more than just lying our way through it." She said with a small chuckle.

Luka's mouth opened to speak, but all that escaped was an exasperated noise.

"Chloe please," Sabrina pleaded. "Please don't do something that will get you in trouble. I'd hate to see you arrested or-"

"Enough!" Chloe snapped her fingers. "Tell daddy the wedding is postponed. Adrien and I had a lover's quarrel and we're holding off the wedding until I say so!"

"R-right away!" Sabrina said clumsily and fumbled with her phone.

"You, Luka." The blonde pointed at the dumbstruck boy. "Go prepare our flight back to Paris, I want to be there by tonight." She ordered with a snap of her fingers.

Chloe disappeared into her bathroom as Sabrina hung up the phone and stood awkwardly next to Luka who was staring at the wall in denial.

"What….the hell have we done?" he mumbled lowly and Sabrina cringed.

"Something evil." Sabrina sighed in ruined joy.

 _ **BLK: Have I ever mentioned that Chloe is OOC af in this? I feel like even though I put the OOC warning label, I've gone a bit too far, I'll have to reign her back in some if you guys don't like it. I think Luka is within an okay range of acceptable OOC-ness.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter III_

"This is most alarming." Gabriel said as he tapped his finger on the table. Emilie sat beside him at the table sipping her morning coffee.

"Hm?" Emilie mumbled as she basked in the fresh brew's flavor.

Gabriel placed a gentle hand on his wife's forearm and squeezed lightly, this brought her out of her relaxed state of mind as Gabriel spoke with heavy words, "Our son's GPS on his phone is moving away from Tokyo at an alarming speed."

"Oh? Is that so?" Emilie asked softly as she peeked over to her husband's screen to see the dot moving quickly across the map. "It's as if he's in an airplane!" she said with slight surprise.

"I've gotten no incoming or outgoing calls tracked on his phone, so he's not in contact with anyone unless they're together in person." The man mused as he stood up and she followed suit. "I should have tapped his text inbox as well, but that would require technology beyond my experience. Only Nathalie was able to do that for me, I'd have to hire outside my comfort zone to pull that off." He mused.

"Didn't you say he was at the Tokyo airport this morning?" she asked as she followed him out of the hotel room and down the hallway.

"Yes," Gabriel replied flatly as he pressed the elevator button. "And I thought he agreed to stay put, but it seems we'll have to put a leash on him once again to keep him from- What's this?" he paused to see that Adrien was mid-phone call.

' _He's speaking Chinese? To someone named 'Beijing'? What on Earth?'_ he thought as they listened to Adrien's phone call from the elevator.

"Kitten? Oblivion? Lion and tiger? Dear, what nonsense is he speaking of?" Emilie asked worriedly.

"What indeed…" Gabriel grimaced. "What's this 'Lotus of War' he spoke of?"

The two stared at the phone in denial, unable to decipher the hidden messages in Adrien's phone call. Then suddenly the GPS dot ceased and it was as if Adrien himself vanished off the radar entirely. With a low growl Gabriel entered their limousine and Emilie scowled as she made a phone call.

"Audrey, where is Chloe right now?" Emilie asked with unmistakable fury in her tone.

"She should be in her bridal quarters making last minute adjustments to her dress. We should be doing the same thing you know? We can't let our children outshine us on the day of our weddings!" Audrey said in a cheerfully dreadful voice that grated on Emilie's ears, but she'd never tell her that the woman annoyed her to no end.

"We have a problem, Adrien is gone and the only thing we know is that he's going to China, probably Beijing." She said as she watched her husband glare out the window.

"Oh no, that's bad, right?" Audrey asked dumbly.

"Very…" Emilie sighed out. "Get ahold of Chloe, ask her what's going on."

She hung up and turned to her husband who looked absolutely mad in every sense of the word. "I gave that boy everything he could have ever asked for….money, fame, toys, shelter, an excellent education, a lifelong career….and **this** is how he repays his father?" he slammed his fist into the car door.

"Relax a little, I'll talk to him and see if I can sweet talk him into coming back. He's always had a soft spot for me after all." She said with a small grin. "Dear, your phone is ringing."

Gabriel whipped the pone out of his pocket and answered it. "Andre, do you have any information?"

"Y-yes, Sabrina just called, apparently Chloe and Adrien had a uhmm…a lover's quarrel and they've both agreed to postpone the wedding until they can work things out." The nervous man explained on the other end of the phone.

"That's not a likely case, Chloe is entirely too dedicated to marrying my son, she would never agree to a postponement." Gabriel said harshly and Andre shook slightly.

"I'm just going by what Sabrina said, she's Chloe's handmaiden and courier. These words are straight from Chloe herself if Sabrina said it." The mayor trembled, he was always rather intimidated by the Agrestes.

"I'll be talking to Chloe myself, we're on the way to the shrine now." Gabriel said as he hung up without a formality. Emilie seethed in her seat, she had a bad feeling that was creeping up her back.

The limousine pulled up to the shrine where Chloe was sitting in a car with Sabrina and Luka loading her suitcases and handbags into the trunk of the car. Gabriel's eyebrow lifted at the sight of what appeared to be Chloe attempting to flee the shrine. He approached apprehensively, unaware if this was a ruse or if Andre's words could be taken at face value. As he reached the car he stopped in front of Chloe's window and stared down at her. Her arms were crossed with her eyes closed, clearly smoldering a plan deep within her heart pensively. He tapped on the glass and she looked up at him with a demon's glance before realizing exactly who was leering back down at her.

"Oh _father_!" she giggled girlishly as she rolled the window down and leaned out of it like a school girl. "I'm sure you're looking for answers, I'll be more than happy to answer them." She said with an almost sinister tone.

He stiffened up and cleared his throat. "I am under the impression that you postponed the wedding." He started and Chloe's eyes wandered over to the shrine before slowly moving back towards the man as he continued speaking. "Where has my son gone and why?"

"Eh heh…" she nervously chuckled before taking a deep breath. "You see, he and I had a disagreement on the wedding guests and he stormed off. He tried to invite **two** ex-girlfriends as _special guests_ …." She explained with a wave of her finger. Gabriel's rage boiled under his skin, but he didn't let it show on his calm exterior.

"I wasn't aware that he even had previous lovers. When did this occur?" he asked with annoyance.

"That god awful Dupain-Cheng girl and the brat daughter of this stupid shrine we're at!" Chloe practically spat out in disgust. "I can't believe he actually talked his mother into getting the catering from that small town bakery! Then on top of that he just **had** to go and make this old-ass decrepit shrine our venue! What's gotten into him?" she huffed madly.

Gabriel was dumbstruck himself. _'Why indeed…. It was rather strange that he picked such a foreign venue when France or America would have worked…'_ Gabriel remained lost in thought as the raging bride rambled on and on about everything Adrien said or did in the last few days before he growled lowly. Chloe silenced herself and gave him a surprised look.

"I will let you know now that he did not talk his mother into the catering, that was Emilie's idea; and hers alone." He said as he watched the expression on the blonde's face drop to almost disappointment. "Furthermore, the Tsurugi shrine belongs to a fencing master family, one the Agrestes have had ties with for years. As for planning the wedding here I too am perplexed. This is very unlike him." Gabriel mused as Chloe gave the shrine another look of pity and disappointment.

"Well I still don't like it!" she crossed her arms again and looked away.

"Like it or not, we cannot change venues again without changing wedding dates. We have poured too much time and money into this triple wedding project as it is. You and Adrien will have to reschedule your wedding for another day, as for Emilie and I we are continuing on as planned." He said as he walked away briskly. "I'm certain that your parents will do the same." He added haughtily.

"He ran off to China with the Dupain-Cheng girl!" she shouted back at him. He paused briefly without turning around to meet her stare. He made a simple noise of acknowledgement then kept moving.

Luka and Sabrina came sulking out from behind the car and approached Chloe apprehensively. The bride was grinding her teeth and digging her nails into her upper arms as she growly lowly under her breath. Her piercing blue eyes dug into the shrine as she cooked beneath her clothes. She slammed her fist into the dashboard and screeched " **Get…In…."**

Luka jumped instinctively into the driver's seat and Sabrina into the back. He panted slightly before saying, "I can't drive in Japan."

" **Just drive!"** she commanded.

"But I don't know _how_ to drive in Japan!" he rtetorted.

" _ **Well you do today**_!" she screamed as she reached around him and turned the ignition on.

Luka prayed to whatever God this land worshipped. Sabrina was just grateful that she wasn't the one in the front seat.

' _At least if we crash and die we'll be immortalized in international headlines….'_ Sabrina thought as the car began rolling backwards and jerked harshly.

"Is now a good time to mention I've barely practiced stick shift either?" he laughed nervously. Chloe was not amused.

' _Yup, we're gonna end up on the news in a few minutes…'_ the redhead sank back into her seat slowly.

 _ **XxXxX**_

They were halfway across the Sea of Japan and Adrien's head was leaning on Marinette's shoulder as he snoozed softly. She blushed timidly and did her best to remind herself that he hadn't seen her in years and that there was no way his current actions were anything but friendly. Every so often they'd feel a slight turbulence and his head would shift and rub against her. Her blush increased with each bump and jostle. She looked down at him fondly, remembering her high school years in which she spent most oher time pining after him.

' _When did I stop feeling this way about him?'_ she pondered as she watched his hair bounce gently. _'No, I never_ _ **stopped**_ _having feelings for him, I'd just forgotten how nice it was to just be in his presence.'_

She smiled as he mumbled incoherently in his sleep, it was so quiet that she barely heard it. She stroked the top of his head with the hand that wasn't trapped beneath his weight.

"Bu….oo…" he mumbled and she giggled softly at him. "…ugab…oo" he mumbled again.

' _I wonder what he's dreaming about.'_ she mused as she stroked his soft blond locks of hair.

"Lay…..Lay…" he grumbled again. She leaned down and pressed her nose into the top of his head and took a deep breath. He smelled like a fresh printed magazine with those cologne samples between the pages. The slow heft on his breathing created a delicate rhythm that she allowed to envelope her senses. As her eyes closed she remembered that one time Chat Noir was wearing one of Adrien's colognes and denied it up and down for days. She cracked a smile remembering her days as a super hero.

Oh how fond she was of those days, but at the same time they were so very stressful and painful. She remembered the day that the headlines of the news broke out with Hawkmoth's true identity; of how he'd saved the world but would never be praised for it. She very clearly remembered her very last hug with her hero friends and the vow she'd made to Chat Noir.

' _Someday, when the world needs saving again, I'll call upon you for aid once more.'_ She thought as she envisioned her old side kick winking at her playfully. _'We'll kick some akuma-ass together again, maybe not in this life time, but once more none the less.'_

She had only two regrets about giving up the miraculous after the defeat of Hawkmoth and La Paon. The first regret was having to say goodbye to Tikki, the other was never getting to know Chat Noir under the mask. _'I never even learned his name, or what he looked like, or told him who I was either…Maybe it was for the best, right'_

"My lady…" he whispered softly. Her heart throbbed for a couple of seconds.

Marinette's eyes opened and after a moment of stillness she raised her head to look down at the slumbering man in her arms. Curiously, with almost wonton and wonder in her eyes, she looked down upon his elegant features. He wasn't a boy anymore, no-no, Adrien Agreste was a full-fledged **man**. His face was filled out and shapely, his shoulder broader, his legs longer, and even his hair had lost its boyish charm. He was now among the adults, looks and all. Of all that change, of all the aging he'd done, he was still just as perfect as he was then.

There was still the lingering words in the air that clung to her mind like fondant on a cake; who was this lady? _'It couldn't be Chloe…he doesn't love her…'_ she thought as another idea struck her. _'Oh no, he couldn't still be a Ladybug fanboy, could he?'_ she pondered. She remembered having to fight an akuma in the Agreste mansion once and ending up in Adrien's room, there were posters and memorabilia of Ladybug and Chat Noir as far as the eye could see. If he was she could always reveal herself to him, but proving her identity would be a major undertaking. She shook her head violently to get the thoughts out of her head.

"Buga…." He said with a smile and she marveled down at him again with this small glint of hope in her eyes. "….boo.." he finished with an affectionate tone.

"Impossible…" she muttered under her breath in denial.

She gently pulled her arms out from under him just enough to reach her phone and text her friend Alya.

 **[Marinette: Do you recall Chat Noir ever calling Ladybug by any pet names?]**

 **[Alya: Oh yeah tons!]**

 **[Marinette: Like what?]**

 **[Alya: Buginette, Bugaboo, M'Lady, Princess, the list goes on!]**

 **[Marinette: Oh yeah, I'd almost forgotten.]**

 **[Alya: What brought this up anyways?]**

 **[Marinette: Oh nothing, just reading some fanfiction and was wondering if the author used a new nickname or not!]**

 **[Alya: If it's one I wrote, I refuse to apologize for the smut. Although I don't think I've ever used Bugaboo before, I always used vixen, mistress, or m'lady!]**

Marinette could feel the woman's smirk from across the ocean and grimaced. _'That wouldn't be so awkward except for_ _ **I'm**_ _Ladybug!'_ Marinette's mind reeled as she blushed.

 **[Marinette: And this is why I never read your fanfics….]**

 **[Alya: No one really uses Bugaboo though, only one author comes to mind that does. Everyone who writes uses m'lady or buginette.]**

At least she had a solid answer now, but the other questions remained. _'Why would Adrien use such an obscure nickname though?'_ She half wondered if he was the single author using that nickname on the ladyblog.

" **Attention all passengers!"** a voice over the load speaker called out. Adrien shot straight up and looked around dumbly before seeing the clouds out the plane window. **"Attention all passengers! Please make final trips to the rest rooms and prepare for landing within the hour!"**

"Oh wow, we're here already?" he looked all around to see hoards of people shuffling about the plane and rearranging their belongings.

"Yeah, you slept through most of the flight. It's almost ten o'clock at night." She pointed at her phone. He squinted his eyes until he adjusted in the light and gasped.

"Oh damn, I was supposed to text him back!" he cursed as looked at her phone to see a text from Beijing.

 **[Beijing: We await by the sixteenth gate. Exchange no words when we meet.]**

 **[Adrien: Understood.]**

 **[Unknown: Hello, I am looking to order a special cake for a wedding next month. Can you please look at this photo for inspiration? – 1 attachment]**

"Huh?" Adrien's face twisted curiously.

"Oh!" she took her phone back from him. "It's a customer!"

"You use your personal cell phone for business?" he asked.

She was about to open the photo, but hesitated because of his words. "No…no I don't… Normally they use our website or Dad's work cell phone to send pictures… I only take orders from friends…."

"Don't open it!" he urged with a dangerous look in his eyes. "It's probably father's tracking device trying to download itself into your phone. He must know we're together, don't even respond to the text!" Adrien said as he grabbed her phone and removed the battery and send it to the trash receptacle. "Now we won't have any contact with Beijing until we get to gate sixteen…" he muttered.

"Now I have no contact with anyone in Japan or Paris…" she said almost sadly.

"I'm sorry, I'll buy you another phone as soon as possible!" he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so grateful that I'm not going alone. I always thought it'd be Nino and Alya with me when this day came.

She didn't look reassured in the slightest.

"But I'm glad it was _you_ who was here in the end." He said with a warm smile and she looked up at him, she returned the smile and they braced for landing.

 _ **XxXxX**_

" _I promise," a very young Adrien said, "To always protect you!"_

 _The two blondes couldn't have been older than ten year old. She sobbed and whimpered, unable to answer him. She could only run into his arms and cry harder as he stroked her hair. Her teddy bear smooshed between them as he hugged her tighter and tighter._

" _You belong to me, ok?" she managed to speak out as she shook._

" _Always!" he said lovingly. "I'll always be yours Chloe."_

The large bump of turbulence from their airplane caused Chloe to stir out of her daydream. Their flight back to France was met with a nasty storm front. The plane shook and jolted harshly once in a while. Most of the passengers looked panicked and terrified, but Chloe looked miserably depressed.

"What's with that look on your face?" Luka asked from his seat next to her.

Chloe looked back at the Rockstar, her eyes watered over with a scowl on her face. No matter how angered she tried to look, she just looked hurt, like the fire in her heart was giving way to a damn bursting with frigid water.

"Have you ever lost everything before?" she asked calmly.

He looked down at her tepidly, almost disgusted with this new side of her. "Yeah, when my dad died, but you'd know nothing about **real** pain and sorrow." He said mockingly. "You've never lost anything that money couldn't replace."

"My mother abandoned me with daddy when I was only ten years old. She left to open her store in New York. I begged and begged to go with her, but she blew me off like I was last year's prom dress." She said as a tear rolled down her cheek and onto her lap. "Like I was nothing important…."

For a split second he actually pitied her, but it faded fast remembering all of the awful things she'd done to everyone in the past. "I have no empathy for someone who intentionally got dozens of people akumatized over the years, then had the gall to call herself a super hero. That **one time** you helped saved the world won't erase all the nasty things you've done to us all." He sneered at her and looked the other way.

' _I'd much rather stare at Sabrina's boring face than watch that bitch pretend to have a human heart.'_

"I'm not sorry." She whispered and he clicked his tongue.

"Good, because no one wants an apology from you of all people." He retorted without looking back at her.

She folded her hands together on her lap and squeezed her eyes shut, allowing multiple streaks of tears to fall from her cheeks. "I'm not sorry that I cling pathetically to the **one** person that is truly mine!" she said with a crack in her voice.

He couldn't help it, he did indeed feel song pangs of sympathy for the woman, but not nearly enough to justify consoling her. He argued with himself inside his head about advancing the conversation or outright ignoring her, but her whimpers resonated in his ears as he felt her shivering in her seat next to him.

"My dad was an upcoming rock n roll musician." He started and Chloe looked up to the back of his head, he was still turned away from her, unwilling to make eye contact. "He had just joined an established band that was going on tour. They needed a back up vocalist because their previous one quit just before a major event in China. When he got on stage wit hthe lead singer the whole crowd boo'd him off the stage. After the show he was met out back by a group of thugs who beat him to a bloody pulp. He never came home, we got the phone call from the lead singer the next morning that he'd succumb to his injuries and he was cremated. We were mailed his ashes and that was that."

Chloe blinked slowly then wiped her tears away. "No funeral?"

"We were a small family of four down to three, we just had one last meal with his… _his plate made…._ " His voice cracked as he tried to choke back a sob. "We…we made his plate…with his favorite food…"

"No other friends or family at all?" she asked gently, almost sweetly, as she reached up as if to lay her hand on his shoulder. She hesitated and retracted her hand when he shook his head 'no' and sniffled.

"No, but the lead singer of that band did come by to give his respects." Luka said as he began to regain his composure.

"What band was it?" she asked as she twirled a piece of her hair between her fingers.

Another harsh turbulence jostled them in their seats, their shoulders bumped together and Sabrina was jolted awake.

"The Raging Stones." He said simply.

"But wait, isn't that the band Jagged Stone was in before he went solo?" Chloe asked in realization.

"Ah, yeah." He mumbled.

Sabrina couldn't figure out what was going on, both Chloe and Luka were teary-eyed and talking very softly to one another. This was extremely unlike Chloe.

"What's going on guys?" the ginger asked as she put her glasses back on.

Neither of the two answered Sabrina's question, instead Luka finally looked back at the solemn and soliloquizing woman. Her long platinum blonde hair was frteely flowing down her back with only her white sunglasses holding her bangs out of her eyes. Her lush sapphire blue eyes fixated on the phone in her hands, the picture of Adrien from his latest photoshoot lit up on her screen brightly. In this very moment she didn't look like the same girl who terrorized a nation, but she also didn't look like the super hero who helped Ladybug bring an end to the villainous duo either.

"You know something Chloe?" he asked and she looked up to meet his lukewarm gaze. "You'd be a hell of a lot cuter if you weren't batshit evil."

"I know…" is all she could muster out. _'I know that more than anyone else…'_

 _ **XxXxX**_

 **[Juleka: Rose, something weird is going down here in Japan…]**

 **[Rose: What's wrong? Is it Chloe again?]**

 **[Juleka: I don't know, but all of a sudden the Chloe and Adrien portion of the wedding has been cancelled. The Agreste parents and Boureois parents are still doing their vow renewals, but everything else was cancelled, even our reception concert.]**

 **[Rose: Oh no, you two really practiced for months for this! Did they say why?]**

 **[Juleka: No, only that Adrien ran away and Chloe is going back to Paris. I think they're done forever this time. She packed up all of her stuff and left I heard from some of the catering staff. Even Marinette's parents confirmed that Chloe cancelled all of the prep work.]**

"Hey guys!" Rose said and everyone at the dinner table turned alertly to look at the small woman. "Chloe and Adrien split up!"

"Uhh….is that….so?" Alya sounded out dumbly. _'No one was supposed to know yet! What the actual fuck is going on Marinette?'_ she thought as she stared back down at her half eaten dinner. _'Why aren't you answering your texts now? How did Juleka find out about the break up? Who is feeding them information?'_ A million thoughts raced through Alya's mind as Rose blathered on and on about all the little details Juleka was feeding her. _'Something isn't adding up…'_

"Rose," Alya said and bubbly girl ended her ramble. "Is Juleka **with** Luka right now?"

"No, Juleka says that Luka says that he and Marinette are at a hotel together right now." The effervescent blonde chirped happily.

"In Tokyo Japan, **right**?" Alya crossed her arms. Rose blinked then looked at her phone then back to Alya then shrugged sheepishly.

The tan woman took a slow deep breath before picking up her phone and calling Juleka. "I'll get to the bottom of this rabbit hole!" she groaned as the phone began to ring. _'I know Marinette confirmed the reconnection with Luka, but she can't be in two places at once! Could the hot tub be the cover story she's using while she and Adrien run away?'_

Nino had a twisted sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach, something was indeed **very, very** wrong. Marc and Nathaniel looked concerned as well, unsure what the real issue was all of a sudden.


End file.
